Students and staff experience solar eclipse

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On Monday, Aug. 21, a solar eclipse was visible over North America. Olathe experienced 99.4 percent totality and St. Joseph, Mo. experienced a total eclipse.

The Olathe School District’s science facilitator, Julie Miller, prepared months in advance, making posters and researching.

The district decided to shorten classes in order to allow students around 45 minutes of viewing time to witness the eclipse.

Whittaker Hoar, sophomore, said, “I felt thoroughly excited for the eclipse. It was cool to be a part of an event that would only happen in our town once in our lifetime.”

Though Hoar was excited, many did not feel the same way.

Candy Birch, assistant principal, said, “It was a wonderful experience, but a little disappointing when the clouds rolled over right before totality,” but she was overall excited that everyone saw such “unique science.”

Carter Jones, senior, said, “It was pretty disappointing,” but he was only “mildly excited,” to begin with.

Clouds rolled in and covered the eclipse while it reached its peak totality at Olathe South.

Other students decided to get pulled out of school, in hopes to view full totality.

Jordan DeLeon, junior, went to Riverfront, Mo. and said, “It was really hyped up, but the clouds covered the last five minutes of the eclipse and I couldn’t see anything.”

Though DeLeon did not have luck, Samantha Throneberry had a different experience.

Throneberry had been highly anticipating this event. She started a countdown to the eclipse on her phone, the minute she heard about it this summer.

Originally, Throneberry went to St. Joseph, Mo., but then drove to Riverside, Mo., because it was raining.